You’re engaged and now about to start the journey of planning one of the most exciting and important days of your life!  While planning can be fun (and it should be!), there is lots to do prepare and plan for your big day.  If you’re feeling over or even underwhelmed, we highly recommend hiring a wedding planner to make the process as smooth as possible! Since this is your first wedding, but not ours, hiring a planner has many benefits.  Is a wedding planner right for you?  If you fit into one of these categories, then the answer is YES.

5.  You’re just too busy.

Do you have a full-time job that requires a lot of your time?  Or do you just have a lot on your plate?  A wedding planner will help you schedule (or even attend) meetings, research vendors, pick our linens and invitations, and a long list of other tasks you just don’t have time for.  Since wedding planners are professionals, they know the industry much better and can help save you valuable time by cutting out all of the research and back work that you need to do! 

4.  Your wedding is out of town.

Wedding planners are extremely useful if you have an out of town wedding whether it’s in a different city or state.  It will be helpful for you to hire someone who is familiar with the area as well as local vendors and venue.  They will also help you better allocate your budget to maximize the results and can be your representative at any meetings!

3.  You need help with design.

Wedding planners have seen it all, and thus are professionals at creating some new and unique just for you!  If you are lost and don’t know where to start with colors, textures, design, and rentals, hire a planner to take all of the guess work out of it for you!  By giving them a general idea of what you envision your wedding to be, they can create a customized and beautiful wedding that not only reflects who you are as a couple, but also works within your budget.  Everything from your chair selections, linen, lighting, lounge furniture and florals, your planner can help you create the wedding of your dreams!

2.  You’re just not that into it.

You just might not be the kind of girl who’s excited about hopping from store to store picking out centerpieces and dress colors, and that’s okay!  A wedding planner is sure to take things off of your hands that you’re not interested in doing yourself and can help you make all of the small and big decisions that you just don’t have time for, after all, it’s their job!  And your main job during this time is to enjoy your engagement, so let a planner help take care of it for you.

1.  You get easily stressed.

Does the thought of planning a wedding just stress you out?  Sure, there are lots of details and things to talk about, but at the end of the day, planning a wedding should be fun!  Hire a planner so they can help you keep a timeline, stick to your budget, and do the heavy-lifting so you can enjoy the process and the day-of too! The knowledge a professional wedding planner has is invaluable when it comes to planning ahead and anticipating your needs.

We hope this will encourage all of you bride’s out there to consider hiring a planner to help make your lives easier and make for a smooth and enjoyable day! The wedding day goes by very fast, you should enjoy every moment of it! 

Fresh Events Company

Tips are never obligatory―they are supposed to be expressions of appreciation for especially good service. That said, unless the service was terrible, would you walk away from a restaurant table without leaving one? The same applies to weddings: It is customary to show your gratitude by tipping many of the people involved in making yours a success. Here's a handy chart to help you decide who and how much to tip your vendors on your wedding day!

Source: Southern Weddings Magazines

Choosing the right design for your wedding cake can be a stressful process, but it definitely shouldn't be!  With so many brides and grooms showcasing their personalities and tastes, this is one area where you can as traditional as you want, or as crazy and modern as your mind will take you!  Here are some tips and photos of some of our favorite designs from this past year to give you some inspiration on creating a beautiful, sweet, and delicious cake of your dreams!

1. Choose a reputable bakery
The internet is a great place to start to do some research to read reviews and look at photos of work that bakeries have done before you actually set-up a meeting with them.  If the website's photos are not up to date, chances are, neither is their work.  You want to work with a bakery with positive feedback from married couples and who also offer a wide range of cake offerings!

2. Give yourself enough time!
Three to six months is enough time to plan the cake.  While it's not the most urgent item on many bride's to-do list, it's still an important one.  Make sure you do have an idea on the color scheme and the wedding venue first, that will really help dictate the direction of your cake design.  It's good to get the cake designed and ordered before you enter the "crunch period," which is about 2 months prior to your wedding date.

3. Taste the cake!
I can't stress this enough, make sure you set up a cake tasting before the cake is ordered!  If the cake has multiple flavors, try all of them.  Each bakery has their own variation of recipes that will affect the cake taste, the consistency, texture, and frosting flavor.  Never assume - taste!

4. Get creative!
The age of the cookie-cutter tiered white wedding cake with plastic figurine is long gone, and we're happy to see it go!  Many brides use inspiration from almost anywhere for their cake, whether its their dress, their favorite date spot, or colors.  Adornments and decor are always welcome as are bright, fun colors and modern designs.  Just check out the designs below!

Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings